Grave Dance is the second book in Kalayna Price’s Alex Craft series. Alex is a grave witch, using magic and grave essence to raise shades. Since the events in Grave Witch, she is now fully discovering how her power has grown and enhanced very significantly. But now she has a giant spotlight on her and every group in the mortal and magical worlds want access to her, or want her dead. What starts out as a gory serial killer case, turns in to something way more involved. Kalayna’s journey through this book is full of twists and turns, and is a page-turner! Ayee!

We see all the secondary characters we got to know previously: Roy the ghost, Rianna her old college roommate turned Changeling, her Fae roommate Caleb, and even Fred the stone gargoyle are all here which made me surprisingly happy. Falin, The Winter Queens’ Bloody Hands, returns and the chemistry between the two is hot, holy cow. But we’re constantly left wondering what is he doing back, and what are his motives? Oh and hellooooo Death… more sweet tension to the left over there with Death. Team Death! Team Falin! Aaaah. I am not a huge fan of love-triangle scenarios, but this one totally works for me. At the same time, I was so entranced by the new world building and new characters we meet there. Alex learns a lot more about her heritage and powers, and I am really pleased with the direction Ms. Price is taking Alex in.

I did get a little discombobulated going in to her grave sight and back out so often, because she is now able to see the world of the dead, Aetheric and human world and she is constantly using her vision to scope out all three planes. That being said, this book totally delivered for me. I enjoyed it more than the first, I seriously ate it up. The pacing is awesome, the plot twists are clever, and I really connected with Alex even more this time around. The action is non-stop and the different worlds we visit are fabulous. The tension between the characters is palpable. The revelations are awesome. I was left thinking about the end of this one for a while! You will have several of your own theories when you’re done.

With Grave Dance, Alex Craft is now officially one of my favorite UF series. I was so pleased and satisfied by this second novel and I need the third Alex Craft book right now! Ms. Price’s site says a book 3 is slotted for 2012. Not soon enough!